'What on Earth' are the Broncos doing in top-10 rankings?
It’s hard to argue a football team is elite when they score 11 total points. After their dreadful victory against the 49ers, few would call the Broncos a top team. Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz disagrees, ranking them at No. 10 in his power rankings
“Anyone who watched that 49ers-Broncos slogfest on Sunday Night Football has to wonder what on Earth they’re doing on here,” Schatz writes. “The answer is that they’ve played very good defense so far.”
The defensive play boosts the Broncos, propelling them in power rankings. Especially Schatz’s, rather than using subjectivity, he uses an analytical system called DVOA. To describe it simply DVOA measures efficiency by looking at every single play, determining if it’s a success based on situation and opponent.
This metric favors the Broncos, through three games the Broncos defense has been excellent.
They’re ranked as the third best defense in the NFL allowing 12 points per game. The league average is 21. Against the 49ers they forced three turnovers, including safety P.J. Locke ripping the ball away from Jeff Wilson securing the win.
“The defense was outstanding,” head coach Nathaniel Hackett said in a post-game news conference.
On the flip-side, the offense is less than outstanding. Broncos are the second-worst scoring offense in the NFL, scoring 14 points per game.
You'd expect way more from an offense with quarterback Russell Wilson and young playmakers. The defense can’t carry them for the entire season, if the offense clicks, they’ll really start to earn their top-10 billing.
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